#I never thought I would create an OC to date a glass of milkshake | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

saiilorstars · 5 years ago

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It Had To Be You

Ch. 4: All is a Secret // Story Masterlist

Pairings: Barry Allen x Original Female Character

Summary: Belén inadvertently puts herself in danger whilst trying to help in a metahuman crisis. And for some reason Barry is drawn to rescuing her almost immediately, creating some questions amongst the STAR Labs team.

Pronunciation of OC's name: Bell-en. The last syllable has an emphasis so it’s not pronounced like ‘Helen’ would be.

No real warnings for now!

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

Belén and Iris made their way out of the theater and walked down a crowded street, contently munching on their leftover popcorn. Iris had opted for a very much needed girl's night out. She thought Belén would need all the excuses she could take just to be out the house.

"Maybe on Friday we could watch the premier of..." Iris trailed off when Belén stopped walking so suddenly. The woman had grown pale too. "Belén? Belén? What is it?"

Belén swallowed hard, hoping to God it would pass soon and she could excuse it with something plausible. Iris grew more concerned and helped Belén towards a wall so that the woman could rest for a bit.

"Should I call a doctor?" she asked when she saw no progress in Belén's condition. "Your Dad?"

"No, no," Belén waved a hand, her eyes shut for the moment. "I'm, uh, it's...it's passing, yeah…"

Iris scowled at such a lame lie thrown her way. "Annah-Belén Palayta, are you trying to lie directly to my face? You know how I feel about that." She sighed and dropped her popcorn to the ground so that she could help Belén walk again. "Maybe we should get you home. Let's call a cab?"

"I think…" Belén felt famished despite the fact they'd eaten plenty before entering the theater. "...Can we go to Nina's please? She's a doctor, and...and I don't want to worry my Dad. Please, Iris?"

Iris just wanted her friend to get better, so she agreed without another word. This wasn't the first time she noticed Belén's health suddenly decline, and she hadn't yet brought it up with Belén. Perhaps that had been wrong of her - she didn't want anything to happen to Belén just because she didn't bring it up. She was the only friend Iris really had!

~ 0 ~

Later that evening, David Palayta received the abrupt news Belén would be staying with Nina for the night. Iris had been left with the false illusion Belén was better and would be returning home after a nice cup of coffee with Nina. But as soon as Iris left, Nina got straight to work with the medical exams again. Belén laid in the guest room of Nina's apartment, sitting upright on the bed with a weary look on her face. It was ridiculous how tired she felt when today had been so calm and easy.

"It's the same thing again," Nina sighed when she came into the room, holding Belén's green milkshake in hand. "Sugar levels are dangerously low."

Belén no longer felt worried over that. She merely took her milkshake and drank down its disgusting contents. Nina walked over to the window, about to close the curtain when Belén called out.

"Don't! Leave it like that please?"

With a sigh, Nina nodded and left the room. Belén reached out for her phone on the nightstand and looked at the time. It was almost midnight.

He would most certainly be there already...and she wouldn't be there tonight. What would he think of her, then? A flake? An irresponsible? Surely he had better things to do than help a girl out.

Belén sighed to herself. "Please don't be mad with me," she pleaded in a whisper.

~ 0 ~

Iris was bringing a tray of dirty dishes back to the counter when she saw Barry coming into Jitters. "Hey," she greeted as she left the tray back.

"Hey," Barry greeted politely, eyes briefly looking around to hopefully see someone by. "Um, listen..." he began after seeing no one was around, "I was wondering if you...know anything about Belén?"

"Belén? Like what, exactly?"

"Em…" Barry stuffed his hands into his pockets, knowing he was going to fail miserably in trying to seem normal, "...like, uh...if she's okay?"

Iris sighed as she remembered her last encounter with Belén - three days ago at the movies - and shook her head. "I honestly don't know anymore."

Barry was just as concerned as she was, but he couldn't tell her it sprung from the fact Belén had missed their 'secret appointment' at the city park late at night three days ago. It had become a custom for them to meet each other - he as the 'Red Streak' - to consult about Rayan's case. Belén had never once missed the date. She was always the first one. And suddenly she misses one without so much a note at the fountain's altar for an explanation. Not to mention the fact that he hadn't heard a single word from her afterwards, as the regular friends they were.

"You want to know something weird?" Iris suddenly asked, breaking Barry's inside thinking. "Bells and I were at the movies three days ago. We were having fun, we ate and saw a good movie...and when we were leaving...she got dizzy or something."

"Dizzy?" Barry frowned. "Did you take her to a doctor?"

"We went to Nina's," Iris sighed. "Nina gave her some type of medicine and she told me Bells would be fine. That's the last thing I heard since that night."

"And you haven't called her or anything?" Barry inquired. "Visited maybe?"

"No, I've been a bit busy myself right now. I'm trying to find a way to tell my Dad about Eddie and I, so…" Iris made a motion, signalling the trouble she was going through as well.

"Got it," Barry nodded, understanding her. He was about to ask how she was doing, considering they hadn't really spoken much either, but his cellphone went off. Motioning to Iris he'd be a moment, he walked to the side and took the call.

There was a new crime scene and he was needed right away.

~ 0 ~

A little restaurant not too far from where Belén and Iris had gone to the movies, was the center location for the murder scene of a crime family. The entire place had been blocked off from the public's eye and while several police officers looked about for anything that would tell them about the criminals, Barry attended to the corpses lying at different locations from the grand dinner table the family had been going to use.

Although, he probably would be a little more focused if he didn't repeatedly find himself distracted with his honey-haired friend. He didn't even realize Joe had come up to him asking for any details on the corpses until he was gently nudged with a shoe on his leg.

"S-sorry, what?" Barry blinked and looked up, finding a half concerned half irritated Joe looking down at him.

"I was asking if there was anything new," Joe repeated himself for the last time.

"U-uh…" Barry quickly ransacked his mind for the last professional thoughts he had before his mind had gotten away from him. "Well, there was, um...there are signs of histotoxic hypoxia. The cells in their bodies were unable to utilize oxygen. It's consistent with exposure to poison gas."

"What kind of poison?" Joe wondered.

Barry got up to his feet and sighed as he looked to the other corpses. "I'll need to take a lung sample, see if I can narrow it down."

Eddie joined the two after having met with witnesses. "The only other exit was bolted from the inside. They were trapped. I was thinking someone pumped gas in from the outside, but witnesses say the street was empty."

"So it was from the inside," Joe concluded, already taking extra looks around them for anything suspicious. "That means there should be a canister or a container left behind. The gas just didn't come in by itself."

Barry, meanwhile, had begun making deductions based off the way the corpses had landed to their current positions. Without thinking, he added, "Unless it had a mind of its own."

Joe immediately understood the implication and quickly resorted to have Eddie leave. "Eddie, would you mind canvassing again? Somebody had to have seen something suspicious." Eddie nodded and went on his way to repeat his task. Joe then turned back to Barry. "Okay, explain."

Barry nodded and did just that. "The boss collapsed by the table," he pointed to the nearest corpse just beside the table. "This guy made it 10 feet away," he gestured to the corpse closest to the front window - presumably having shot at the window three times to no avail - with a gun lying beside him. "That guy had a chance to move off and fire three shots into the window trying to break the glass. But they all started in the same spot, which means they should have all been affected by the gas at the same time, but instead, it's as if…"

"They were attacked one by one," Joe saw where he was going. "My gut feeling, if we're gonna solve this one, you and me are gonna need... Backup."

"Yeah," Barry agreed, but judging by the face he had on Joe realized there was something else on his mind.

"What is it?" he asked wearily.

"It's just...do you think I could make a pit stop first?" Barry innocently smiled. "...for about an hour?"

"An hour?" Joe frowned. "Barry, need I remind you this is a case we need to solve fast? There could be a metahuman on the loose and you want to waste time?"

"It's not a waste of time, I promise," Barry pleaded. "It's very important, okay?"

"What could be more important than finding a metahuman who's out murdering people?" Joe demanded incredulously.

Barry sheepishly smiled when he realized how his answer would sound if he actually responded.

~ 0 ~

Linda Park was in the middle of typing a new article at her desk, occasionally looking out for the intern that was supposed to be getting her the notes she needed to finish the actual article. She was most certainly not expecting a strange young man to walk into the place. By the way he curiously looked around, Linda knew for sure he had never visited before.

She got up from her chair and walked around her desk, coming down the small steps of the higher-level ground. "Can I help you?" she politely asked once she reached the stranger.

Barry felt like a complete idiot the way he knew he looked so lost. "U-um, y-yeah...actually, yeah."

Linda smiled, crossing her arms. "Were you looking for someone?"

"Yeah," Barry nodded, knowing that was the third time he had answered with the same word. "Do you know where I can find Belén Palayta?"

Linda's eyebrows quirked upwards, looking bemused all of a sudden. "You're Belén's…?"

"Barry?" came the familiar voice of the needed woman. Barry turned to see Belén coming out of a side room, holding Linda's notes in her hands.

"Bells," Barry brightened up when he saw her looking (at least physically) well, "Hey…"

"What are you doing here?" Belén joined him and Linda, handing the latter the files in the process.

"I, uh, I was...in the neighborhood," Barry began his excuse, seeing it was probably not a good idea to begin with 'since you failed too meet me while I was the Red Streak I got worried'.

"You were?" Belén tilted her head, confused. Though beside her Linda was smirking widely, wishing her friend could get a simple clue.

"Yeah," Barry cleared his throat, awkwardly glancing at Linda.

Belén followed his gaze and saw Linda. Nudging the dark-haired woman, Belén sarcastically said, "Linda, that article isn't going to write itself you know."

Linda rolled her eyes, knowing she was being politely asked to leave. "Yeah, yeah, I'm gone. See you later, Belén," she waved to the intern then looked to Barry, "and nice to meet you, Barry."

"Likewise," he shook her hand and let her go. Afterwards, he focused back on Belén who was curiously waiting for him. She didn't look sick, from what Iris told him. Her eyes were shining their special brown tinge, and her smile was genuine.

"Was there something you needed, Barry?" Belén's voice cut into his thoughts. "Though I doubt there's anything a journalist can do for a forensic scientist."

"Um," Barry nervously smiled, berating himself for not coming in with a plan - he looked like an even bigger dork than what Iris told him he was. "I...it's just been a while since we heard anything from you," he came up with in the end.

"You were worried," Belén realized, feeling a tad special about it.

"Well, a little-" but then Barry worried how that may have sounded and tried to clarify, "-though when I say 'a little' I don't actually mean 'a little'-" he gestured with his index finger and thumb, "-I meant the decent amount-"

Belén's laughter cut right through his words, making him awkwardly shift in place. "And here I thought I was the motor mouth in this city."

"S-sorry," was all Barry could think of at the moment. He felt his face incredibly warm and that was never a good sign - especially near girls. Iris always teased him for blushing so easily, and always being so red!

"Oh c'mon," Belén sobered up and touched his arm, "I was only joking - absolutely no one can top me. I'm sure you heard what happened at the movies with Iris but I can assure you all I'm just fine.

"We just haven't heard from you, that's all," Barry tried again.

"Well, to be frank," Belén sighed, growing slightly serious, "I've been kind of getting the feel that you guys don't want me at Star Labs anymore."

"What? Why would you say that?" Barry asked, unable to awkwardly cough. He knew that was his fault for being unable to decide whether or not to tell Belén who he was.

"I can kind of tell when Cisco sputters as he tries to make up excuses on why we shouldn't meet at the lab," Belén crossed her arms. "I love that guy, but he sucks at lying."

"Look, Bells-"

"No, I totally get it," Belén waved a hand at him. "I'm kind of an idiot and I'm probably just in the way during your nerd talks."

"That's not it," Barry shook his head, but Belén gave him an earnest look.

"Then why?"

"Well…" Barry rubbed the side of his neck, seeing this was a lost cause that could only hurt Belén.

"It's fine, Barry," the blonde assured, turning to leave. "I get it, there's just some places where others don't belong. It's like…" she stopped and turned around, finding he had been following her and so she bumped into him. "Oh - well," she fixed her hair and smiled warmly, truly looking alright as she said she was, "It's like me barging into your lab to try and talk to you about science. Or, perhaps you coming in here," she chuckled at the irony, "and trying to talk to me about journalism."

"Technically, if I talk 'sciency'," Barry raised his fingers into quotation marks, making Belén laugh again, "I can probably come up with a decent article."

"Hmm," Belén feigned thoughts as she went to gather her things from a small desk. "If you want to put your money where your mouth is, I have the job."

"You do?" Barry blinked, unsure how to go about that.

"Mhm," Belén turned around, her bag's strap over her shoulder now, "You know Iris has this blog about the Red Streak and she knows diddly squat about the science part involved in all that. I'm sure you can help her more than I could."

Barry withheld the annoyed sigh threatening to escape through his lips. Iris continuing to write about him was an increasing problem for him and herself. Who knew what could happen to her if she kept at it?

"Listen Barry," Belén stepped closer to him, resting a hand on his arm, "I'm touched you came all the way over here just to see if I was okay. As you can see, I'm doing just fine. I guess with my brother's case, my job, my parents, my nearly-failing-biology-class, and my near graduation...I have a lot of things on my mind. It was nothing more than a burnout."

"Are you sure?" Barry softly asked her, looking for anything in her that would tell him she was lying.

"I'm sure," Belén nodded, retracting her hand from his arm. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go shop before I head to classes. My friend had the lovely idea to cast me in one of his final short plays so now I have to go and buy me some new clothes for the part."

Barry laughed, walking towards the doors with her. "Really? And what's the part?"

"Um, this 'geek' girl so…" Belén shrugged, "I have to go buy me some geek clothes, I guess. That should be fun considering I look horrible in the glasses and the flannels…" she quickly looked at him then, knowing the flannels were a part of his common attires, "...but on you they look good!"

"Thanks," Barry laughed, opening the door for her. "I'm sure you'll make an adorable nerd."

Belén glanced back at him, sporting a light blush on her cheeks. "Thank you."

The two shared a longer look before Barry felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Suddenly remembering he had somewhere else to be, he nervously smiled at Belén who was curiously looking at him...probably sensing something was off.

"I, uh...have to...uh…" Barry awkwardly had a thumb pointing over his shoulder, but for some reason the words were like a tongue twister, "...g-go...yeah...y-yeah, we, um, we…"

Belén's eyebrows raised, evidently amused by him. "You could say 'I have things to do' and just leave. I wouldn't be offended, Barry," she laughed.

"Bye Belén," Barry finally managed to say in one go and hurried off to Star Labs.

~ 0 ~

When Barry sped into Star Labs, everyone - even Joe - was in the cortex room attempting to discover more of the newest metahuman in the city. As soon as he stopped, Barry found himself bombarded with scoldings left to right about his tardiness. It didn't get any better when Joe let it slip the reason Barry was late because he had to go 'see a girl'. As if it was just any girl I was seeing, thought Barry. And it wasn't like that, he then told himself. He was just worried over Belén and he wanted to see if she was alright. Plus, Iris was worried too and as her brother it was his job to help her no matter what.

"It was necessary," Barry concluded to the others. And before there could be another comment made about it, he moved to the desk where Caitlin and Dr. Wells were at. "So, did we make any advances on the case?"

"We were really only making assumptions and other questions," Caitlin answered after a moment, looking at the others. "For example, how he's able to formulate the connection of the elements needed for the gas creation."

"Oh, and if it was just poisonous gas, or can he control all aerated substances?" Cisco added in, rather excited about the idea.

"So basically we have nothing," Joe declared and walked up to the desk, leaning an arm over it. "I did, however, mention the possibility of finding an adequate place to hold metahuman criminals. Iron Heights isn't ready for that kind of stuff."

"At which point I reminded the ones you've encountered so far are no longer with us," Dr. Wells smiled.

"Well, unless we're planning on executing every super criminal we stop, you geniuses are gonna have to come up with someplace else to hold them."

Cisco was more awed then. "A meta-human prison. Sweet."

"Until we figure a way to remove their powers," Wells added before anyone got other ideas.

After a moment of sober thinking, Cisco meekly reminded, "There is one place here that might hold them."

Caitlin's eyes widened, looking fearful. "You can't be serious. I mean, we haven't been down there since... it's cordoned off."

"Cisco is right," Wells interjected. "It could be modified to act as a makeshift prison."

"What could?" Joe inquired.

"It was where the Particle Accelerator was meant to work in," Wells explained, no one except Barry noticing the distant, over-fearful look on Caitlin's face. "It was meant to contain the chemicals and even stronger components. We could, theoretically, manipulate the area and convert it into different cells designed specifically for each metahuman's ability."

"That sounds good," Cisco shrugged.

"So then we should get down there to see what exactly we have to do."

"Yeah," Cisco agreed.

"Caitlin, let's go," Wells said but when Caitlin stayed silent he glanced at the brunette and called her again. "Caitlin. Caitlin. Did you hear me? We're going down to the accelerator ring."

Caitlin became flustered as she came out of her memories, wanting to push them away as far as possible for fear of breaking down over the death she was working so hard to move on from.

Barry saw that too and came to her aid. "Actually, Dr. Wells, I could use Caitlin's help identifying the poison gas."

Wells seemed to understand the conflict and let it go without another word of insistence. "Okay."

Barry looked to Caitlin, who was already shooting him 'thank you' looks. "If that's okay with you?" he asked her.

"Let's go," Caitlin nearly jumped out of her chair, not seeing the moment they were out of the building.

~ 0 ~

It was never a good feeling to come home and hear strange noises from your bedroom. The only thing that she was thankful for was that her son was not with her at the moment. Balling a fist and creating a sphere of purple mass, she started for the hallway. The noises were coming from her bedroom and she wasn't going to waste a minute bringing the intruder down.

You picked the wrong house to rob, she thought. She kicked the door open and got ready to fight. However, she was met with a completely different image of her 'intruder'.

A young man with light brown hair stood in front of a dressing table, his back to the owner of the house. "It's so different seeing your mask off your face," he raised his head to meet her reflection on the mirror. "Why is it again that you prefer to wear it whenever you're with me?" He then raised the purple half-mask for her to see.

"That's not funny!" the woman stalked over and snatched her mask back. "And what the hell do you think you're doing in my house? My son could've been here, you idiot! Or worse, our sister or our dad could have stopped by."

"They wouldn't, I know their schedules," Rayan Palayta turned around with a smug smile, leaning against the dressing table.

"You know everything, don't you?"

"Maybe not everything but I know my sisters. Isn't that right...Maritza?"

Maritza Palayta had always hated when her younger siblings sassed her or used pointless sarcasm on her. "You need to quit playing games like these," she warned, pointing a finger at him. "You're dead to the city so you can't just show up here!"

"And you're getting to be a well known petty thief," Rayan countered.

Maritza walked to her closet and opened it up. "I know how to play the game, alright? I'm laying low for now."

"That would be a wise choice," Rayan nodded, pushing himself off the dressing table. "And you should probably hide that mask better. If I could find it then so can Axel or even Belén."

"Please," Maritza lightly scoffed, her words muffled as she was inside her closet putting away her mask. "I love Belén but right now she's not at her best."

"What's wrong with my sister?" Rayan demanded.

"She's still with the idea that you're not dead."

"Oh Belén," Rayan sighed. "I love her and I miss her so much but...she can't know about me. She can't know about either of us. If she...had turned like us...then things would be different."

"But the fact is that she's not," Maritza left it clear as she closed her closet doors. She turned around, looking firm. "And for that reason she can't know anything about us. All she should worry about is finishing college and focusing on her job. You don't go near her."

"I know that," Rayan argued. "It kills me but I know it's what's best."

"Now are you going to tell me the reason for your little visit?"

"Nostalgia, for the most part," Rayan admitted, truly missing his old life. But he knew that he couldn't go back anymore - he didn't want to. After everything he'd been forced to do by the gang of robbers he'd been kidnapped by, he didn't think he could face his family anymore. Plus, he had a score to settle with the culprit of all his misfortunes in the past months. "But I also think that I've found someone who could be like us."

Maritza studied her younger brother for a moment. "Eugh," she gagged, "How on Earth could you find some woman to still..." she shivered and Rayan laughed.

"I was making a run for food and we crossed paths," he shrugged. "Her name - well, what she goes by when she's out - is Pixel."

"Great, and?"

"I'm staying at her place now but the warehouse is still where we can operate freely."

Maritza rolled her eyes. "Okay, so while you came to give me that spectacular news, I have actually got something you might like."

"Let me hear it."

"Word has it that there's a new freak out there with incredible powers."

"Is it the one that controls gas?" Rayan asked, startling Maritza with the knowledge. "Sorry, I hacked into the records of the CCPD. It's fairly obvious judging by the poison evidence from the crime scene."

"Right," Maritza made a face. "Never mind that. So, you think I should reach him?"

"I don't like him," Rayan declared, confusing her more. "He's a right criminal and we don't need that in here."

Maritza scoffed loudly. "And what exactly are we, then? I've robbed countless stores and you? You slaughtered an entire band of criminals."

"We are sophisticated, and we have only one goal. I don't want petty criminals that I can't control."

"But he-"

"I said no," Rayan shot her down again, and this time warned her to stay quiet. "Let him be. Just...keep an eye on our family. You know the drill. If you need me, you know how to find me."

"Right, the warehouse or your new little girlfriend's place?" Maritza stopped him by the bedroom door.

"I'll send you the address," Rayan assured and continued on his way out.

Maritza sighed deeply after he was gone. She looked at herself in the mirror and could no longer recognize herself. She didn't like who she was becoming but she felt like it was too late to do anything about it. Star Labs made her that way, and they would pay soon enough.

~ 0 ~

Back at the CCPD, Barry and Caitlin were patiently waiting in his lab for the results of an exam. Barry was sat at his computer desk, fiddling with a DNA model in his hands while Caitlin stood on the other side by the printer.

"Can I ask you something that you don't have to answer?" Barry finally gathered the courage to ask.

"My least favorite kind of question," Caitlin nervously smiled. "Shoot."

Barry put down the DNA model on his desk. "Ronnie. What was he like? You just never talk about him that much."

Caitlin looked down a minute, her nervous smile fading and exchanging for a split peaceful expression. "We met when we were working on the particle accelerator. He was the structural engineer. He liked to joke that he was basically a very high-priced plumber. We were very different. You might have noticed I can be a bit... Guarded." Barry made an innocent look, something that didn't go pass Caitlin. "Ronnie knew how to make me laugh. He used to say we were like fire and ice. He wasn't supposed to be there that night. He was just there for me. If he hadn't…"

The printer then beeped, signaling the results were ready. Caitlin nabbed the paper and took it over to the desk, reading it simultaneously. "This says that there was no residue of gas in the tissue, poisonous or otherwise."

"It must have evaporated," Barry assumed. "We'll need to get a fresh sample."

Caitlin's eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she read more. "Wait, this can't be right," she put the paper down on the desk for Barry to see. "This says that there are two distinct strands of DNA inside the tissue. How did someone else's DNA get inside the victim's lungs?"

After a moment, Barry decided to configure the remnants of the discovered DNA in the computer. "I don't understand," he frowned. "There's no DNA match in the database.

Caitlin was still looking at the results, pretty much lost. "I don't understand. Why would a chemical attack leave behind another person's DNA inside the victim?"

Barry got to thinking and then offered, "What if the meta-human we're looking for doesn't control gas? What if he becomes it?"

"Ooh," Caitlin's mouth formed a small 'o' at the idea. It certainly made sense. But that would definitely make it a more difficult battle to fight.

And it seemed like fate today was purposely contradicting her. The radio Barry had set on the desk for the police station went off.

'All available units, we have a report of a toxic gas attack in the central city shopping mall.'

Without a second thought, Barry dashed out of his chair and ran for the locker he had inside the room. Seeing what he intended on doing, Caitlin rushed after him.

"Barry, don't," she tried. "We don't know enough about what we're facing yet. It's not safe."

But Barry's mind was set on the mall once he remembered an earlier conversation he had. He turned around, a frantic look on his face. "Caitlin, I have to go. Someone important is there, alright?"

"But-" Caitlin tried again but was cut off when Barry ran out of the lab. "Barry!" she called after him, though in vain.

~ 0 ~

Holding several shopping bags in her hands, Belén contently walked in the mall ready to head to class. But when she made a turn that overlooked the center of the mall, specifically, the elevator coming down to her floor, she abruptly stopped and shrieked without thinking. The glass elevator displayed a horrific sight consisting of a woman relentlessly pounding on the wall for help while a musty, green mist covered the entire square.

Belén's shriek made the rest of the customers look on to the sight, and thus provoked alarm throughout the rest of the mall. Belén looked at her hands, flexing them for a moment as she saw something green on her skin. "No, go away," she whispered and looked back at the elevator. The woman was crying out for help but of course no one could. Belén knew that if she proposed herself, she could probably help a little. What if I just make a bigger mess out of it? she thought. What if I hurt her instead of helping?

Belén decided she needed to help the woman. She was the only one in the building after all. She dropped her bags and dashed for the elevator that was arriving on the floor level.

"Stay back!" she ordered the crowd forming by the elevator doors. "I said get back!" as soon as the doors slid open, the green mist flew out and headed away. Determined, Belén ran after it. "Hey!" she shouted, though she wondered if the gas actually had a mind to talk to. She barely grazed the doorknob of the door the gas had gone through when she felt a powerful wind and suddenly found herself by the rail overlooking the center of the mall. It took a moment to realize she had been carried by the Red Streak. "Dammit," she balled her fist and looked towards the crowd of people. She hurried back then, pushing her way through till she stood at the front. She sucked in a breath at the sight of the dead woman sprawled on the floor. Her eyes watered up, her mouth unable to close. She'd taken too long to decide and now someone was dead.

~ 0 ~

If Barry was afraid before arriving at the mall, he was now furious that the metahuman nearly had a face off with Belén. Thankfully he managed to get there on time and speed Belén away before the metahuman could attack.

"Why did you kill that woman?" he caught the metahuman in a lonesome hallway of the mall.

The metahuman, a middle-aged man with no hair and barely eyebrows, turned around. "She deserved to die. Now go run away. I still have one more name on my list. Don't make me add you to it."

But Barry wasn't going to let him get away with the newest murder. He sped towards him, attempting to punch him with no avail. The man retaliated by releasing poisonous gas that quickly invaded Barry's lungs. He took his escape swiftly after that, leaving Barry to suffocate.

~ 0 ~

At Star Labs, Dr. Wells and Cisco were trying to make contact with Barry through the intercom on the desk. All of a sudden, they had lost contact with Barry.

"Barry. Barry, can you hear me?" Wells repeatedly attempted to get a response from Barry, growing more concerned by the mark of the vitals on the computer screens.

"His vitals are weak, but he's alive, Dr. Wells," Cisco pointed out. "I'm sure he's fine."

But as soon as the words left Cisco's mouth, Barry sped into the room, collapsing against the desk between the two humans. "I can't breathe!" he wheezed out the words.

"He needs oxygen!" Wells quickly ordered. "Get the crash cart!" he ordered from Cisco, who jumped out of his chair to get it done.

Barry was then placed on the hospital-like bed in one of the side rooms. Caitlin, who had taken off from the CCPD the moment Barry ran out, arrived in time to assist. The top part of Barry's suit had been open up to his bare chest, and when he saw Caitlin he quickly called to her.

"Cut me open! The poison's still in me!"

"He brought us a sample," Wells motioned to Caitlin to get on the job. "Caitlin, we need to do a pulmonary biopsy, extract an active portion of that gas."

Anxiously, Caitlin looked to Barry. "I can't give you any anesthetic. Your metabolism will burn right through it."

"I heal quick, remember? Do it."

With a sigh, Caitlin glanced at Cisco. "Cisco, give me the syringe. This is gonna hurt a lot," she warned Barry afterwards.

Cisco retrieved the syringe and prepared the needle for her. "It's a small needle," he spoke to Barry, "You probably won't even feel it."

Caitlin rolled her eyes and snatched the syringe from him, clarifying, "You're definitely going to feel it." She stabbed Barry on the chest with it, causing the metahuman to violently gasp before falling unconscious on the bed.

~ 0 ~

"This wasn't funny, Annah-Belén!" Nina angrily scolded her friend after hearing what Belén nearly did at the mall.

"You're going to use my whole name when you're mad with me too?" Belén looked up from the chair of Nina's kitchen, feeling like a child while Nina paced back and forth beside the table.

"Shut up!" came the snappy response from Nina. "This is serious! You could have died back there doing something stupid!"

"It wasn't stupid," Belén meekly argued, her hands fiddling over the table. "I saw the woman pleading for help and I...I had to try to do something."

"With what!?" Nina frantically turned to her friend. "You've got nothing to defend yourself with!"

Belén stared hard at her friend. "You know that's not true."

Nina released a large sigh, rubbing her forehead. "Fine," she gave in, "But you also know you're not in control. That gas thing-"

"He's a man," Belén corrected.

"Fine, the man, is clearly in control of his abilities. What the hell would you have done if he tried attacking you?" Belén had no answer and looked away from Nina. Nina shook her head. "Thank God the Red Streak appeared and got you out of there."

At the mention of the Red Streak, Belén crookedly smiled. "He saved me…"

"But don't expect him to be there every time you have a stupid idea," Nina warned her, not that Belén really paid attention.

"Nina, do you think the Red Streak feels guilty when he lets people die?"

"What?" Nina frowned at the change of topics.

Belén returned her gaze to her friend, allowing Nina to see a different expression on the blonde's face. "That woman that got murdered today - if I had been in control of my abilities and if I had made the decision quicker then I could have maybe done something to help her. But I didn't. I hesitated and she paid the price."

"No, Belén, please don't tell me you actually feel responsible for what happened to this woman," Nina shook her head again.

"But how could I not?" Belén got up from her chair. "I was right there, Nina! Right there!" her voice broke down as the feelings of guilt and despair settled over her. "And I...I couldn't help her."

Nina sighed and came to hug Belén. "You can't feel guilty about something that wasn't your fault. This guy had the plan calculated perfectly. Not even the Streak got there in time."

"But still…" Belén pulled away, her eyes shiny from looming tears, "...maybe if I had control...I-I could have helped in some way. The Streak may have not gotten there in time...but I was there. And I should have been able to do something."

"No - Belén!" Nina called as her friend hurried out of the apartment. "Belén!"

~ 0 ~

When Barry woke up, he found the cortex room empty save for himself and Caitlin. The brunette was sitting beside him, more or less scolding him already with a sharp, silent look. Barry sighed and tilted his head away from her.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Mhm."

"I had to get to the mall fast, alright?" he continued, but Caitlin still didn't speak. "There was a metahuman murderer on the loose, in the mall, where Belén was-"

"Belén was there?" Caitlin cut him off, suddenly curious of the matter.

Barry nodded, slowly turning his head in her direction. "I panicked."

Caitlin put two and two together before dimly smirking. "Wasn't she also the reason why you delayed coming to Star Labs earlier?"

Barry rolled his eyes, assuming where she was headed with the conversation. "Iris mentioned she wasn't feeling well, and, well...she hasn't really been around so I...wanted to go see if she was okay."

"Mhm," Caitlin pursed her lips together, "So that's two times today that you practically blew us off for Bells."

"It's not like that, Caitlin," Barry earnestly said. "I feel incredibly guilty as it is for keeping all this a secret from her - and Iris. The least I can do is keep her safe and be a friend."

Caitlin softly smiled. "Well, you are definitely being a wonderful friend for Bells. I think after everything that's what she needs most."

"Well, I don't know how I'm doing with the 'friend' part considering I keep lying to her every time we meet as the 'Streak'," Barry sighed, closing his eyes for a minute.

"You could just tell her you know," Caitlin reminded him no one was against the idea of Belén knowing the truth behind 'the Streak'. Hell, even Joe didn't mind.

"It's too late for that," Barry made a disappointed face. "I volunteered as two separate people to help her with her brother's case. Can you imagine how she would react if I told her that it's been me all along?"

Caitlin could see the complexity of the situation and sighed. "Alright, so it's not that easy."

"Yeah…"

Caitlin stared at him in a silent minute before saying, "If you want...I could talk to her?" At the suggestion, Barry hastily turned his head in her direction. "I know it wouldn't be the same but...I'm still a friend and I could definitely explain the reasons why we kept all this a secret from her."

Barry softly smiled. "You're a very good friend, Caitlin. But I think, if she's going to hear it from someone, it should be me." Caitlin nodded, not pushing after that. "And you know what, because you had this idea of helping me...I'm going to help you."

Caitlin's eyebrows knitted together, confused. "H-how?"

Barry just smiled as he sat upright, his body's quick healing already making a noticeable change in him.

~ 0 ~

With a couple of her friends, Belén made way for her class down the bright, green field of her school campus. However, midway through the field Belén began getting the sensation she was being watched from afar. She didn't even realize she had stopped walking until one of her friends, Hilary, came back for her.

"Hey, Belén, what's up with you?" the ginger haired woman asked.

Belén was looking to her right, scanning the area full of students doing their respective things. "I...don't know," she answered truthfully. "I feel like I'm...being...watched or something."

"Watched?" Hilary followed in the direction Belén was staring at, but due to the sun going down it was harder to identify any potential creep (or perhaps admirer she thought) staring back at them. "I don't see anything - you're just imagining. We're going to be late, now let's go!" she grabbed Belén's arm and pulled her after their other friends.

A couple seconds later, a tall figure stepped out from behind a tree, their eyes indeed watching after Belén.

~ 0 ~

Back in the cortex room, after Barry took Caitlin to the Particle Accelerator so that she would finally conquer any remnant feelings from the accident, Dr. Wells and Cisco called them back up to share the newest information over their metahuman.

"We have identified the toxin," Wells was saying as Cisco pulled up a 3D model across them.

Barry went to have a closer look. "Hydrogen cyanide?" he frowned, glancing back at the others.

"What's interesting is what's mixed in with the cyanide... A sedative."

"Of course," Barry quickly realized and turned to Caitlin who stood by the desk. "The night of the explosion, find out if anyone was executed."

"Why?" the brunette made a face of confusion.

"That sedative is given to criminals on death row before they go to the gas chamber and breathe in hydrogen cyanide."

"That's right," Wells gave an impressed look to Barry while Caitlin got to work.

It didn't take her long to find what they were looking for. "There was someone executed. Kyle Nimbus." She pulled up the profile and displayed it as another hologram for all to see.

"That's him," Barry immediately recognized the man that nearly poisoned him.

"He was a hit man for the Darbinyan crime family. They turned on him and testified. Judge Theresa Howard was the judge at his trial. She sentenced him to death."

"He must have been affected by the explosion while he was being gassed," Cisco concluded based on the evident facts.

"Records indicate the execution was completed," Caitlin read from the bottom of the page.

"That's why there wasn't a match," Barry shook his head. "The DNA database only has records of the living. Right. He said there was one more person on his list. Check the arrest record. Who caught him? That could be his next attack."

Caitlin did just that and looked horrified after seeing the information. "Barry, the lead detective…" Barry glanced at her, waiting for her to finish. "...it's Joe."

Barry nearly felt his speedy heart stop then.

It was planned minutes later to get ahold of Joe and warn him of the dangers looming over him. In the meantime, others would try and find the location of the metahuman before he reached Joe. So when Barry couldn't find Joe, it became all that more frustrating and inevitable panic happened. He had to turn in the direction of his partner, Eddie, and while the blonde detective was initially reluctant to reveal Joe's location, he did…

At which point Barry nearly had another heart attack.

~ 0 ~

Henry Allen had no idea what the hell was going on. One minute he was talking to Joe - apparently now Joe believed that he didn't kill his wife - and the next a strange man appeared, turned into gas and poisoned Joe with it. It all seemed straight out of a movie, but unfortunately this was real life and Joe was dying with no one helping him. But suddenly, a red streak came into the room, dressed in a red suit with a mask.

Barry used a syringe to heal Joe from the poison, but since that was the only one he had from Star Labs he was basically on his own going up against Nimbus. While Joe recuperated, Barry glanced at his father who remained behind the glass barring the visitor and prisoner sides. He made his face vibrate to completely conceal his face from Henry.

Suddenly, Barry felt a hand on his arm and looked down to see Joe coming back. "Go get him," he urged Barry.

Knowing he would be fine then, Barry sped out of the room to catch up with Nimbus. The man was halfway down the road from the prison, walking calmly when Barry found him.

"So you've come to finish what the gas chamber couldn't?" Nimbus turned around to face Barry, looking heavily confident.

"You're going somewhere you can't hurt anyone ever again," Barry promised him now that the new metahuman prison was finished.

"Wrong," Nimbus hissed as he released the poisonous gas from his hands.

"You need to stay away from him, Barry. Do not breathe him in," Wells warned Barry through the earpiece of his suit.

Barry followed the warning and still tried to fight Nimbus as best as possible. But every punch he threw was evaded by a quick shift into gas on Nimbus' part. It was impossible to touch the man.

"I'm not sure how that helps me, guys," Barry panted after dozens of failed attempts.

"You can't fight him, Barry. Just keep him coming at you," Caitlin suggested.

"That should sap his strength. Gas is the least stable form of matter," Wells added. "This meta-human will not be able to stay in his mist form for long. His particles will need to reform."

Barry sucked in a big breath before going back in and fighting. He simply did what he done before, attempt to punch Nimbus which would force the metahuman to constantly shift to gas. Eventually, Nimbus became weary with the lack of power and in one of those was unable to change into gas. Barry snatched the opportunity and punched Nimbus square across the face.

"We win," Barry smirked at the unconscious metahuman on the grass.

~ 0 ~

After Nimbus had been placed 'under arrest' and imprisoned in his new, small-confined cell, the three Star Labs employees gazed at the prisoner with certain awe.

Caitlin winced each time Nimbus pounded on the glass of his cell. "Will it hold?" she had to ask Dr. Wells and Cisco beside her.

Cisco smirked, laughing to himself. "The barrier is powered by an 8.3 Tesla superconducting electromagnet, which is about 100,000 times the strength of earth's magnetic field."

Seeing Caitlin's overwhelmed face, Wells translated. "In other words, yes."

Caitlin sighed and looked at Nimbus again. "I think he's mad."

Now it was Well's turn to smirk as he pressed a button on the wall that began sealing the new prison. "Well, good night."

"So we're just supposed to get used to working above a makeshift prison housing evil people with superpowers," Caitlin reviewed as they made way out of the pipeline.

"You'd be surprised what you can get used to, Caitlin," Wells said rather blankly as he left the room.

"Caitlin," Cisco meekly called for the brunette afterwards. "Could I talk to you for a second?"

She nodded. "What's up?"

"It's about the night that Ronnie died. I…"

Caitlin sighed. "Look, Cisco, I'm okay. I thought coming down here would undo me, but thinking about what Ronnie did to protect us... It just made me love him more." Cisco lightly smiled at her. "Come on. I need ice cream or a drink. Let's see which one we hit first."

~ 0 ~

Late at night, the 'Red Streak' awaited in the Central City park, just beside the fountain. When Belén feebly appeared, she was a little bemused to find him already there.

"Am I late?" she had to ask out loud in case she made the mistake.

"No, I'm early," Barry replied and gazed at her in silence. She looked slightly lost, and tired - very tired.

Belén pursed her lips, coming to a stop a couple feet from him. She glanced down to her brother's altar, where a pin in the shape of an azalea had been pinned earlier in the night. "You put the flower pin," she said quietly, having assumed that the moment she saw it after coming out of classes.

"I did," Barry acknowledged.

"How did you know it was my favorite flower?" Belén curiously looked back to him.

"Believe it or not, I have read some of your work," Barry smiled.

Belén blushed. "You read my work?"

"I like to know who I'm dealing with," Barry shrugged. "Plus, you're a good writer."

"And you're a good hero," Belén remarked, slowly growing quiet again.

Barry noticed this fast and sighed. "You missed our previous meetings, and I notice you look a bit...pale," Belén gulped but let him continue, "And the simple quietness in your usual speedy talk is an outright red alert to me. Is something wrong?"

Belén shakily breathed out, her mind thinking back to today's event at the mall. "You know at the mall when that guy-"

"Oh," Barry frowned, nearly forgetting his planned scolding for her, "I meant to also tell you that you better not go endangering yourself like today." Belén sighed, half expecting something like that from him. "When I go out and save people, I don't really want to know that you're the one in need of saving."

"I just wanted to help," Belén nearly broke down into a sob, startling Barry instantly. "I saw the woman was dying in the elevator and I ran to help, but...but I was too late because I took to long to decide. I-I didn't think about being qu-quick...but then you showed up and you...you took me away and I...I saw the woman dead and I thought...I think...it's partially my f-fault because I didn't do anything t-to h-help-"

"Hey-" Barry reached out to calm her down but instead the woman threw her arms around him for a hug. For a good minute or so, Barry stood there without a clue of what to do. The ombre-blonde lightly shook as she sniffled, but her arms clung around him like her life depended on it.

She was clearly affected by what she saw at the mall, and it reminded Barry of the people he couldn't save from past encounters with metahumans. The inevitable feel of guilt nabbed at his mind, forcing him to be ashamed of himself. 'Why didn't you save them?' he heard in his mind constantly. It was a hard feeling to shake off, and without help from anyone, perhaps it would never go away. He had Joe, Caitlin, Cisco and Dr. Wells...but Belén? Who exactly could she go to in this case? Her father would probably have lost it knowing his daughter had been that close to danger. Iris was certainly not in the eligible case either. Nina, perhaps? But even then, it wouldn't be the same. He saved people - this time he just wouldn't be physically saving someone.

"Bells," he said her nickname without thinking, and pulled away slightly to face the blonde. For safety measures, his face blurred and he took a couple steps back.

"You're going to call me that too?" her raspy voice asked him.

"U-uh," Barry blinked, "Y-yes. Yes, if...if that's okay?"

Belén dimly smiled, nodding her head. "Why not, my friends do, and...I think you're a friend too."

"I am," Barry quickly nodded and resumed to what he was planning on saying first. "As a friend, I don't want you thinking that you had a in hand in this murder. The man who killed her was a prisoner she sentenced to execution." Belén gasped, her hand covering her mouth. "He had her in his hit list and he was going to come after her no matter who stood in the way. She didn't deserve to die, but it wasn't your fault it happened."

"H-how did you make that guilty feeling go away, then?"

"Honestly, it's still there, sometimes. I think, 'What the hell were you doing? You didn't save them'. But then at other times I remember that, no matter how quick I am, I'm still only human. I won't always be able to save everyone but I will always try to save them."

Belén bit her lip, seemingly thinking. "So…"

"That does not mean I want you out there playing hero," Barry quickly cut in, making her smile. "I mean it Belén."

"Okay," Belén nodded, agreeing to the term. "I can't be a hero anyways. I don't think I'd make a good one."

"I think you would be fantastic," Barry declared much to her amusement. "But, for now, focus on your journalism."

"A-and my brother's case," Belén felt the need to remind, in case he forgot in the meantime she had been under.

Barry smiled, nodding. "Of course."

"I'm sorry about missing our previous meetings. I...I was a little sick," she briefly explained. "But I'm better now."

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

"Alright," Barry let the subject go, seeing she did appear to be better than before. Perhaps what she needed all along was to release her locked up feelings. "How about we call it a night and I take you home?"

Belén agreed with no hint of disappointment. She felt tired from today, and partly from her 'special condition'. She allowed Barry to take her home where she would hopefully get some needed rest.

#barry allen x oc #the flash x oc #noblecrescentedit #the flash #the flash imagines #barry allen imagines #barry allen fic #barry allen #caitlin snow #cisco ramon #joe west #iris west #harrison wells #star labs #it had to be you

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